Khammam: BRS Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra on Wednesday called upon party cadres to participate in large numbers in a protest against alleged irregularities in the allotment of Indiramma houses to the poor at the district Collectorate on Thursday.
The Left parties will also join the protest programme.
Addressing a preparatory meeting at Telangana Bhavan here on Wednesday, Ravichandra alleged that the Congress government was discriminating against eligible poor families in the allocation of houses. He appealed to BRS workers and leaders to make the protest scheduled for October 22 a success. The meeting was attended by MLC Tata Madhusudhan, former MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah, former Zilla Parishad chairman Lingala Kamal Raj and other party leaders.
Ravichandra welcomed the Left parties' decision to join the protest, stating that their participation would help highlight the alleged injustice being done to eligible beneficiaries. He said he would discuss the issue with BRS working president KT Rama Rao and pursue legal action seeking the repeal of Government Order 33, which, he alleged, had facilitated the formation of Indiramma housing committees dominated by Congress leaders.
The Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the committees were being used to accommodate Congress leaders and prevent them from migrating to the BRS. He questioned the government's decision to abandon the lottery-based allotment system, claiming that the present approach had created scope for arbitrary decisions and deprived deserving poor families of housing benefits.
Recalling the previous BRS government's housing programme under former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Ravichandra said double-bedroom houses had been constructed and allotted through a lottery system, which, according to him, ensured a fairer process irrespective of political affiliations.
He alleged that the present government was resorting to police pressure to deter Congress leaders and workers who were considering joining the BRS amid dissatisfaction with the administration. He also criticised the three ministers representing the district, accusing them of failing to adequately address the concerns of poor families. Ravichandra urged BRS cadres to gather at the Khammam Collectorate with party flags and participate in the protest to demand fair allotment of houses to eligible beneficiaries and the cancellation of the Indiramma housing committees.
Party leaders Pagadala Nagaraju, Bellam Venu, Khamar and others were present at the preparatory meeting.